Explain Bierce's views of the war in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." How does he feel about it?

Ambrose Bierce seems to feel that all war is wasteful, unnecessary, and brutal.  His narrator's subtle judgment of Peyton Farquhar's assent "to at least a part of the frankly villainous dictum that all is fair in love and war" lets us know that he, perhaps, feels that such a belief is savage.  To believe that all is fair in war is to believe that people can behave in absolutely unconscionable ways, as long as there is a war on to justify their actions.  Something that might be considered dishonorable when there is no war being fought can seem somehow justified during a war, and this, to him (or to his narrator, at least) seems villainous.  

However, this judgment doesn't apply, in isolation, to Peyton Farquhar but to anyone who would adopt such a position.  Although Farquhar would seem, especially to a 21st-century reader, to be on the "wrong side" of the war -- he's a plantation- and slave-owner, one who supports the idea that the South should secede from the Union -- Bierce does not appear to judge him for this.  Instead, Bierce judges him for what damage he is willing to inflict on others as a result of his belief that "all is fair in [...] war."  This leads me to believe that Bierce is less interested in pointing fingers about who is most responsible for the war and instead blaming anyone who supports war (or at least the dishonorable tactics we use against one another in war), as a method of problem solving at all.

How is love presented as controlling by Egeus in A Midsummer Night's Dream?

Egeus represents a controlling view of love because he tries to force his daughter to marry Demetrius.

To Egeus, love means telling someone what to do. He loves his daughter, so he knows what’s good for her. He wants her to marry the man he chose, rather than the man she is in love with. When she refuses, he brings her before the king of Athens, Theseus. Theseus basically tells her that she has to do what her father says, or else!

To you your father should be as a god;
One that composed your beauties, yea, and one
To whom you are but as a form in wax
By him imprinted and within his power
To leave the figure or disfigure it.
Demetrius is a worthy gentleman. (Act 1, Scene 1)

The fact that Hermia is in love with Lysander means nothing to either of them. Theseus is in love too. In fact, he is about to get married to Hippolyta. Yet he still orders Hermia to marry Demetrius. This is because in his kingdom, the father gets to choose who the daughter marries. It’s the law and he’s just enforcing it.

As far as Egeus is concerned, she can learn to love Demetrius. He’s a great guy. She responds when Theseus says Demetrius is “worthy” by saying that Lysander is worthy also. Both men try to force Hermia into love, but she won’t have it.

Egeus does not relent. He gets very angry when his daughter tries to run away with Lysander. He also sees Helena with Demetrius.

Enough, enough, my lord; you have enough:
I beg the law, the law, upon his head.
They would have stolen away; they would, Demetrius,
Thereby to have defeated you and me,
You of your wife and me of my consent,
Of my consent that she should be your wife … (Act 4, Scene 1)

Theseus has a different opinion of it. It is time for his wedding, and love is in the air. He decides that love should not be controlling. It should come from the heart. He overrules Egeus, and commands that Hermia will marry whoever she wants.

Although it may seem terrible to us, Egeus's views were actually quite common in those days. A girl was the property of her father until she wed, and then she was the property of her husband. A love-match was rare, and it would have to advance the families politically.

A phenotype is the result of a particular genotype. Discuss how the genotype affects the phenotype by referring to proteins. The disease of...

There are several questions within your question. In order to make sure that all aspects of the question were answered, I broke the question into several segments and answered each part

     A. Genotype vs. phenotype

Genotypes are the allele combinations that an individual has for a particular trait or characteristic. A phenotype is the physical characteristic that results from the genotype that the individual has. Achondroplasia is an autosomal dominant pattern that is caused by a mutation of the FGFR3 gene. It is a form of short-limbed dwarfism.

In order to understand the above explanation an individual needs a clear understanding of some key terms within the answer. These are provided below.

• 
  Genes are segments of DNA. DNA stands for deoxyribose nucleic acid. DNA is made of smaller building blocks called nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of a deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogen base. There are four kinds of nitrogen bases in DNA. DNA’s nitrogen bases are adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. The order of the nucleotides determines the gene that an individual will have.


• 
  Alleles are variations of genes. In basic genetics, individuals receive on allele from each parent for each trait. Thus, most human characteristics are a result of two alleles.  Alleles can be dominant or recessive. Dominant genes are the “stronger” variety of the gene, while recessive alleles are considered to be “weaker”. Dominant alleles are represented with a capital letter. Recessive alleles are represented with lowercase letters.


• 
  Genotypes refer to the allele combinations that an individual contains.


• 
  Phenotypes are the physical characteristics represented by genotypes.


• Genotypes can be homozygous dominant, heterozygous, or homozygous recessive. If homozygous dominant, an individual has a genotype with two dominant alleles and will show the dominant phenotype. If heterozygous, an individual has one dominant and one recessive allele. Because a dominant allele is present, the individual will show the dominant phenotype. Homozygous recessive genotypes contain two recessive alleles. This is the only way that an individual can manifest the recessive phenotype when dealing with basic genetics.

Thus, an individual can have a genotype that is either homozygous dominant or heterozygous in order to display the achondroplasia phenotype.

        B. How does genotype affect phenotype in regards to proteins?

The genetic code (genotype) that lies within the DNA of an organism determines that proteins that are produced. The central dogma of biology states that DNA contains the key for RNA, which then codes for proteins.

Transcription and translation are the two phases of protein synthesis.

During transcription, the two strands of DNA unwind. One of the strands serves as a template for make an mRNA strand. Each set of three nucleotides on an mRNA is called a codon. These codons will be important in the second phase of protein synthesis called translation.

After the mRNA that is created during transcription, it migrates to the cytoplasm via a nuclear pore. 

During translation, mRNA, ribosomes, rRNA, tRAN, and amino acids work together to make the protein strand.

Once in the cytoplasm, the mRNA and ribosomes attach. The ribosomes serve as scaffolds that match the codons on mRNA’s to the anticodons on the tRNA’s. Anticodons are sets of three nucleotides on the base of a tRNA that are complementary to mRNA codons. On the top if tRNA are amino acids.

As the ribosome moves down the mRAN during translation, additional tRNA anticodons are matched with the complementary mRNA codons. In this way, amino acids that form a protein are arranged in the correct order.  When two amino acids are adjacent to one another, a peptide bond forms. The polypeptide chain continues to grow until a stop codon is reached.

       C. In terms of achondroplasia, provide a comparison of affected vs. unaffected persons.

As stated above, achondroplasia is an autosomal dominant pattern that is caused by a mutation of the FGFR3 gene. It is a form of short-limbed dwarfism. Being dominant, only one allele is required in order for the phenotype to be expressed. Thus, an individual can have a genotype that is either homozygous dominant or heterozygous in order to display the achondroplasia phenotype.

Individuals with achondroplasia have difficulty converting cartilage to bone. Thus, in comparison to individuals without the condition, people with achondroplasia display a short stature. Achondroplasia is also associated with a limited range of motion at the elbows, an enlarged head, and a prominent forehead.  People with achondroplasia may also suffer from apnea, obesity, and spinal stenosis.

 

Why did sonnets decline in popularity during the Restoration Era ?

A sonnet is a one-stanza poem of fourteen lines which is written in iambic pentameter. It was invented by Petrarch, an Italian poet, in the 1400s but gained immense popularity in England under William Shakespeare. The reason for the sonnet's popularity can also help us to explain why it declined in favour during the Restoration: the sonnet came to be associated with love and courtship. In Shakespeare's era, for example, Sir Walter Raleigh flattered Queen Elizabeth by writing sonnets to her. In fact, Elizabeth's royal court was a place of chivalry and romance in which the sonnet flourished and was regarded as the most appropriate way to voice these feelings. 

In contrast, the Restoration Era, which began in 1660, was a time of great social and political upheaval - not for expressing love. This period produced great epics and was well-known for its lyric poetry, where the author expresses his feelings directly to the reader. Thus, the days of the chivalrous court and romantic feeling were long since over and the sonnet simply seemed irrelevant to the people of England.  

An airplane is flying in a horizontal circle at a speed of 102 m/s. The 80.0 kg pilot does not want the centripetal acceleration to exceed 6.04...

The centripetal acceleration depends on the speed of the pilot and the radius of the path as

`a = v^2/r`

Since this acceleration cannot exceed 6.04 times free fall acceleration (acceleration due to gravity), the maximum value of the centripetal acceleration is

6.04* 9.81 = 59.25 m/s^2

Then, the minimal radius is determined by

`v^2/r <=59.25`

The given speed of the pilot is 102 m/s, so

`102^2/r <=59.25`

`r >=102^2/59.25 = 175.6 ` m.

The minimal radius of the plane's path is 175.6 meters.

The net force on the pilot, according to the second Newton's Law, equal mass times acceleration:

`F = ma = mv^2/r` , where m is the mass of the pilot. This net force creates the centripetal acceleration and thus maintains the circular motion.

`F = ma = 80*59.25 = 4,740` N.

The net force on the pilot equals 4,740 N.

In "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, why does the angel appear in the form of a very old man?

I always enjoyed having students read this story because, in my opinion, it is a great example of a story for which readers may discover many different yet valid interpretations.

The angel in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" is a mystery when he arrives, and he is a mystery when he leaves. One of the most troubling mysteries concerning the angel is why he is so old and weak, as these are not attributes that people often associate with angels.

One possible interpretation is that he really is very old. Thus, he appears in the form of a very old man because he is a very old angel. His weakness and the eccentric nature of the miracles he performs seem to support this view. And while this interpretation runs contrary to the ideal of angels as possessing strength and eternal youth, perhaps this is what Garcia Marquez wanted the reader to realize -- that angels are not what we think they are, and they can grow old a weary from their labors.

Another interpretation is that the angel appears as a weak and very old man as a test for the people of the house and the town. People who follow Christian beliefs should treat the angel, or any very old man, with kindness and charity. Instead, they treat him little better than an animal, even going so far as turning him into a sideshow attraction. In return, they receive no benefit from his presence other than "consolation miracles, which were more like mocking fun." Perhaps had they treated him with the dignity and charity due to a person, let alone an angel, of his extreme age and weakness, they would have received greater benefit from his presence.

I mainly prefer the second interpretation, although evidence in the story can be found to support both, and perhaps others as well. A favorite of my students over the years has been that the very old man with enormous wings is not an angel at all, but rather is a mutant or alien. The evidence form the story seems more suggestive of angel than mutant or alien to my mind, but those interpretations make the age of the character less troublesome because a mutant or alien would more likely be subject to aging than an angel. 

How many chromosomes do gametes have?

A gamete is a haploid sex cell of an organism that reproduces sexually.

When the haploid nuclei of two gametes fuse at fertilization, the resulting zygote or fertilized egg contains the diploid number of chromosomes found in body cells of that particular organism. From that point on, the genetic blueprint of that organism has been determined and all cells that are produced from that fertilized egg cell will contain the diploid number of chromosomes. Only gametes contain half the number of chromosomes and are produced by a special reduction division known as meiosis to be used during sexual reproduction.

Different species contain different chromosome numbers. For example, Homo sapiens which are modern humans contain 46 which is the diploid number of chromosomes in their body cells and 23 which is the haploid number of chromosomes in their gametes. Gametes contain half the amount of chromosomes found in that species.

Drosophila melanogaster is the fruit fly commonly used as a subject of study in many genetics experiments. The diploid amount of chromosomes in their body cells is 8 and the haploid number in their gametes is 4. 

Compare the relationship between Juliet and her parents from Act III, Scene 5 to Act IV scene 5.

In Act III, Scene 5 Juliet's parents inform her that they have promised her hand in marriage to Count Paris. Capulet has changed his mind about Paris (earlier he had required the Count to "win" Juliet's love before consenting) and believes the family needs a "day of joy" after the death of Tybalt. Juliet's parents know nothing about Romeo and it is ironic that they would break the news to their daughter just after she has been with Romeo on the couple's honeymoon night.

When Juliet refuses to marry Paris (because she is already married to Romeo), Lord Capulet becomes enraged and Lady Capulet treats her coldly. Capulet threatens to disown her and put her out in the street. He says,

Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch!
I tell thee what: get thee to church o’ Thursday,
Or never after look me in the face.
Speak not; reply not; do not answer me.

While not quite as demonstrative as her husband, Lady Capulet is also angry  at Juliet and refuses to be of any assistance when Juliet asks for some reprieve. Lady Capulet says,

Talk not to me, for I’ll not speak a word.
Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee.

Juliet eventually seeks advice from Friar Lawrence who devises the plan for her to fake her death and avoid the marriage with Paris. When she returns home she basically lies to her father and tells him she will do whatever he wants. She says in Act IV, Scene 2,

By holy Lawrence to fall prostrate here [Kneeling.]
To beg your pardon. Pardon, I beseech you.
Henceforward I am ever ruled by you.

Juliet also treats her mother cordially in Scene 3 just before she takes the potion which will render her lifeless for almost two days. When she is discovered supposedly dead, her parents are distraught and mournfully praise their daughter. Lady Capulet says in Scene 5,

O me! O me! My child, my only life,
Revive, look up, or I will die with thee.
Help, help! Call help.

And Lord Capulet is heartbroken at finding Juliet. He echoes his wife's words, 

Despised, distressèd, hated, martyred, killed!
Uncomfortable time, why cam’st thou now
To murder, murder our solemnity?
O child! O child! My soul and not my child!
Dead art thou! Alack, my child is dead,
And with my child my joys are burièd.

In retrospect, the relationship doesn't really change. Juliet is lying to her parents throughout these scenes. She never reveals her relationship with Romeo, even when presented with the marriage to Paris. In Act IV, Scene 5 she is also deceiving them by faking her death. Honesty is totally lacking in the relationship from the very moment Juliet meets Romeo.

`||bbv|| = 10, bbu = ` Find the vector `bbv` with the given magnitude and the same direction as `bbu`.

The magnitude of a vector `v=v_x*i + v_y*j` is given by the following formula, such that:

`|v| = sqrt(v_x^2+v_y^2)`

The problem provides the information that |v| = 10:

`10 = sqrt(v_x^2+v_y^2)`

You may evaluate the direction angle of the vector v, such that:

`tan alpha = (v_y)/(v_x)`

The problem provides the information that the direction angle of the vector v coincides to the direction angle of the vector `u = <-3,4>` .

`tan alpha = -4/3`

`(v_y)/(v_x) = -4/3 => v_y = (-4/3 )*(v_x)`

Replacing `(-4/3 )*(v_x)` for `v_y ` yields:

`10 = sqrt(v_x^2+(16/9)*(v_x^2))`

`10 = +-(5/3)*(v_x)`

`2 = +-(1/3)*(v_x) => v_x = +-6 => v_y = +-8`

Hence, evaluating the vector v yields `v = 6i - 8j` or `v = -6i + 8j.`

What was the Roman Legion?

The Roman Legion generally refers to the whole of the military of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire, which was the most powerful in the world at the time. Technically, a legio (where we get the word "legion") was comprised of 5,000 to 6,000 men, while Rome's army consisted of several legiones, perhaps as many as 20 at a time, each led by a Legatus Legionis appointed by the Emperor himself. Thus, a Legatus Legionis was basically equivalent to a modern General.

Within each legion were about 50 or 60 centuriae, each led by a Centurion; it was called a centuria because it had about 100 men (thus our word "century" meaning 100 years). This makes a Centurion about the same rank as Lieutenant or Captain today. There weren't as many layers in between (today's Commander, Colonel, etc.) because Rome didn't have as large a population to deal with as we do now.

The Roman Legion was not only very large, they were also the best-equipped and best-trained soldiers in the world. As a result they were able to conquer most of Europe. Their power ultimately backfired, however, as Julius Caesar used his loyal and well-trained soldiers to effect a military coup and overthrow the republic. Shortly thereafter the Roman Empire was born.

What does total darkness symbolize in "The Pit and the Pendulum?"

In Edgar Allan Poe's horror story "The Pit and the Pendulum," the narrator, after being sentenced and swooning, wakes up in a cell that is pitch black, which he feels is "the blackness of the eternal night." This deep blackness represents the depths of fear that the narrator experiences--the exact fear that is a key tool the inquisitors use as part of their torture. This fear has three aspects: fear of the unknown, fear of the future, and fear of death and the afterlife. 

The first thing the narrator wonders when he experiences the darkness is whether he may have been buried alive. Not knowing whether he may be in a tomb causes him to panic. He dreads to take a step lest he run into the "walls of a tomb." When he realizes that is not the case, he "breathed more freely." However, he continues to be afraid as he makes the circuit of his cell, not knowing what he may find. When he trips and finds his face hanging over the edge of the pit, he begins "shaking in every limb." One of the things that bothers him most is the idea that there might be many such wells "in various positions about the dungeon." He also contemplates what might be down in the well and becomes "the veriest of cowards." 

When some light comes into the cell, the narrator's fears continue, although some fears of the unknown have been relieved. Still, there is a darkness of fear that shrouds the future and the afterlife. He fears the future, for he continually wonders what new tortures the inquisitors are devising for him. He fears death and the afterlife, which are evident by the description of the "blackness of the eternal night" and the "really fearful images [that] overspread and disfigured the walls," pictures of demons that might await him in the afterlife.

Besides being literal, the blackness in the story is also symbolic of the great fear that the narrator's torturers sought to instill in him.

How is the magnitude of the magnetic field of an electromagnet enhanced?

An electromagnet is, in very simple terms, a material that behaves like a magnet when electricity passes through it and loses the magnetic properties when electricity is switched off. A simple example of an electromagnet is an iron nail wrapped with coils of wire connected to a battery. The magnetic field strength of an electromagnet of this type is given as:

H = I x N / L

Where H is the magnetic field strength, I is the current passing through the coil, N is the number of turns and L is the length of the conducting wire.

Thus, magnetic field strength is directly proportional to the number of turns in the coil and can be increased by increasing the amount of these turns (or N). The magnetic field can also be increased by increasing the current passing through the coils. Another way of increasing the magnetic field strength is by changing the core material to something that can concentrate the magnetic flux.

Hope this helps. 

Why do Sampson and Gregory fight with Montague's men in Romeo and Juliet?

The beginning of Romeo and Juliet opens with a fight between Sampson and Gregory, two servants of the house of Capulet, and several of the members of the Montague house.  On the surface, the fight takes place because Sampson and Gregory bit their thumbs (a derogatory gesture) in defiance of the others.  The larger issue at play is the underlying feud that makes members of the two houses hate each other on site.  Prior to the fight, Sampson and Gregory are heard insulting both members of the Montague clan and their maidens.

Those who are familiar with Shakespearean play staging will also note that the Globe Theater featured groundlings, people who paid for cheap seats within the theater.  Unfortunately for Shakespeare, groundling seating was located directly in front of the stage.  In order to keep the largely drunk groundlings entertained from the start of the play, Shakespeare often began plays with something dramatic -- like a fight -- that would get the groundlings' attention.  The fight that Sampson and Gregory start serves this aim as well.

What is the role of the nurse in information literacy?

Nurses are, obviously, a vital cog in the health care process. They are usually the first medically-trained professional a patient entering a hospital or medical clinic encounters. They also, especially in hospital settings, spend far more time with the patient than attending physicians. In short, they constitute an important link in the transmission of information between patient and physician. Consequently, their role in the area of information literacy is considerable. Information literacy, however, is an ongoing continuous process, as information technologies evolve very rapidly and advances in diagnoses and treatments of illnesses similarly occur on a continuous basis. The challenge for nurses is summarized well in the following statement:

"Nurses, along with other healthcare professionals, live the reality of a short half-life of their professional and technical knowledge. The content mastered by graduation is soon outdated. Knowing how to seek, evaluate, and apply information is critical to insure ongoing professional competence."

So, nurses, like everybody else, are required to remain current in information technologies related to their responsibilities lest they grow increasingly expendable. This address the requirements of nurses with respect to information literacy. The role of nurses in information literacy, as noted above, is the responsibility of nurses to communicate with both patient and physician. With the proliferation in the use of electronic health records, or EHRs, the requirement for computer and information technology literacy is even more pressing. As another source noted on the topic:

"Nurses need to function at the level of Information Literacy in order educate patients and families on the EHR to incorporate evidence based practice, to evaluate the relevancy of information retrieved from the Internet and to incorporate evidence-based practice into their practice."

The role of nurses with respect to information literacy, then, is in their requirement to take from patients and process accurate information for records as well as for subsequent treatment by attending physicians. With routine software upgrades and the ever-expanding pool of resources available on the Internet, information illiteracy is not an option.

`||bbv|| = 3, bbu = ` Find the vector `bbv` with the given magnitude and the same direction as `bbu`.

You need to find the component form of the vector `v = <a,b>` , hence, you need to use the information provided.

You need to evaluate the magnitude |v|, such that:

`|v| = sqrt(a^2+b^2)`

`3 = sqrt(a^2+b^2)`

The direction angle of the vector coincides to the direction angle of the vector `u = <-12,-5>` ,such that:

`tan theta = b/a => tan theta = 5/12 => b/a = 5/12 => b = a*5/12`

Replacing `a*5/12` for b yields:

`3 = sqrt(a^2+a^2*25/144)=> 3 = +-13a/12=> a = +-36/13 `

`b = +-(36/13)*(5/12)`

`b = +-15/13`

Hence, evaluating the components of the vector v, yields `<+36/13 ,15/13>` or `<-36/13 ,-15/13>.`

How does Margaret Atwood link the wall in The Handmaid's Tale to religion?

The wall in The Handmaid's Tale could be a Biblical allusion to the walls referenced in several Old Testament passages that suggest cities of God should surround their towns with such a structure. 

In this passage from 2 Chronicles 14:7, Asa, the new king of Judah, explains why the walls around the kingdom are important:

"Let us build up these towns," he said to Judah, "and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side." So they built and prospered.

What is interesting about this passage, particularly in its relation to The Handmaid's Tale, is Asa's goal, in addition to building a wall, was to obey God in all ways, which is very similar to the stated goal of the leaders of Gilead, which is also named after a biblical kingdom.

Like Asa's walls with "towers, gates and bars," the wall in The Handmaid's Tale has "ugly new floodlights mounted on metal posts above it, and barbed wire along the bottom and broken glass set in concrete along the top." In addition, the walls aren't there to keep people from entering Gilead, rather it's there to keep residents from leaving.

The mass of rock is 50 g. we used a graduated cylinder to find it's volume which was 10 mL. what is the density of the rock?

Let's begin by understanding the key concepts and definition of density: 

Density is a characteristic property of a substance. Therefore density is de fined as the relationship between the mass of a substance and it's volume i.e. the space it occupies or takes up.  The arrangement, size and mass of atoms determine the density of any substance. 

NB: Substances or objects with the same volume but a different mass will not have the same density, also objects with the same volume but different mass will have the same mass.

Density can be written mathematically as follows: 

`D = m/v`

Where D = density , m = mass and v= volume

To answer your question about the density of your rock we use the above equation: 

`D = m/v`

`m = 50g`

`v = 10ml`

`D = (50g)/10ml = (5g)/l`

SUMMARY: Density, D, is 5g/l

 

In what ways is Their Eyes Were Watching God a feminist novel?

Their Eyes Were Watching God is considered a feminist novel because the protagonist, Janie, finds her independence through her lived experiences, and she solidly develops her identity as a black woman. At the beginning of the novel, Janie's grandmother Nanny wants her to marry Logan Killicks, a much older man, so that he can take care of her. Janie does end up marrying him; however, she feels that he works her like a mule on the farm when all she wants is a little freedom to find herself and develop her identity. So when Jody Starks comes along, Janie is more than happy to leave Logan and run away with Jody. But her dreams of a life in which she is more free to express herself are crushed when Jody oppresses her and restricts her actions. Later, Janie does find more happiness with Tea Cake, but it is only after he dies that Janie truly comes into her own self. She returns to her house in town and struts through the streets, seemingly oblivious to the criticism of her neighbors. Janie has learned how to be her own person, and her journey is a fine example of feminist aims and goals.

In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, do Junior and Rowdy ever become friends again?

In Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, Junior--the narrator and protagonist of the novel--lets the reader know in early chapters that his best friend on the reservation is Rowdy.  Although Rowdy is a pretty mean and physically strong guy (largely due to his unstable home life), he looks out for Junior at school and on the reservation.  Junior is privy to Rowdy's inner life; for example, Rowdy lets Junior into his world of comics, and through activities like this, Junior learns that Rowdy does have a soft spot inside the hard exterior.  However, when Junior tells Rowdy that he will leave Wellpinit to attend school at Reardan, Rowdy feels like Junior has become a "white-lover," and Rowdy lashes out at the sense of betrayal he feels.  Junior tries to explain his decision and to maintain the friendship, but Rowdy does not want to be his friend.  For the majority of the novel, we as readers see the tension between the two boys, but at the very end of the novel, Rowdy and Junior play basketball together.  This final scene implies that outside the scope of the novel (in other words, if the novel were to continue past its final page) the two boys do indeed pick up their friendship again.  So yes, Rowdy and Junior become friends again and seemingly are working to repair the damage that has been done to their initially strong friendship.

What are ways that Scout embarks on and continues her "campaign to avoid school" in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird?

In Chapter 2 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout attends her very first day of school, something she has looked forward to all her life. Yet, she is very disappointed with her experience because it seems to her school is hindering her learning rather than helping her learn. For a while after her first day, Scout undertakes a "campaign to avoid school."

By Chapter 3, Scout's first tactic to get out of school is to try and convince her father she could learn at home. Both Atticus and his brother Jack had been educated by their father on the family farm, Finch's Landing. Therefore, Scout reasons, "You never went to school and you do all right, so I'll just stay home too. You can teach me like Granddaddy taught you 'n' Uncle Jack" (Ch. 3).

Scout's second tactic is to argue that it would not be against the law for her to discontinue going to school. To make her case, she references Burris Ewell, who only goes to school on the first day. Since it is so difficult to get the Ewell children to attend school, Maycomb's legal authorities feel they have fulfilled their duty to the law by at least getting the names of the Ewell children on the roll-call sheet the first day. However, Atticus argues that "sometimes it's better to bend the law a little in special cases," whereas upright citizens like the Finch's must always be required to rigorously uphold the law.

Though both of these tactics failed to keep her out of school, Scout continues to try to find ways to get out of school, as detailed in Chapter 9.

Europeans had various ways of overpowering colonial natives; their arsenal was not limited to physical weapons. How else did they overpower Native...

First, we should remember that Europeans "overpowered" Natives in the long term. In the short term, for many colonists, it was Indian peoples who held most of the power and dictated the terms of colonial-Native interaction. Some other strategies that Europeans used to gain more power in their dealings with Indians were as follows. 

First, Europeans sought to exploit pre-existing rivalries and hostilities between Indian peoples, in what was conceived as an effort to "divide and conquer." For example, Cortes's famous conquest of the Aztecs would not have been possible without the assistance of the many Indian peoples who lived around the mighty Aztec Empire and resented its control. 

Second, Europeans tried to gain entry into Indian society by marriage and other means. English colonists in the Southern colonies were particularly adept at this, especially merchants. In so doing, they formed the kinship relationships that were essential to Native diplomacy. 

Third, Europeans tried to make treaties signed by one Indian group binding on others. That is, they allowed some Indians to speak for others who had not in fact vested them with that authority. This policy persisted into the late nineteenth century, when it was pursued with the Sioux and other Plains Indians. 

Again, we should not imagine that Indians were passive or helpless in this process. They sought Europeans as allies and trading partners, and they could cleverly "play off" one European nation against another by making what seemed to Europeans to be conflicting treaty agreements. They acted within their cultural frameworks to make decisions that seemed the right ones at the time.

How is suspense created in "All Summer in a Day"?

Suspense is built into "All Summer in A Day" from the beginning. It starts with the children asking questions: "Ready? ... Now?" that make us wonder what they are waiting for. We soon learn that it rains all the time on the planet Venus, and, like the children, we as readers long for the brief hour when the sun will soon shine for the first time in seven years:

All day yesterday they had read in class about the sun. About how like a lemon it was, and how hot.

As we enter imaginatively into the lives of these children, we are in suspense about how they will react to the sunshine they have no memory of having ever seen. Then, after the children lock Margot in the closet right before the sun comes out, we wonder if she'll be released in time to see the sun, as we know she has been longing to do. At the end, when the children go to release Margot after it is too late, Bradbury slows down the action to build our suspense about what has happened to her:

They walked over to the closet door slowly and stood by it. Behind the closet door was only silence.

These pauses build suspense. All through the story, Bradbury has prepared us to anticipate what will happen next.

What is the message of "Marriage is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe?

The message of Chinua Achebe's short story "Marriage is a Private Affair" is that, despite cultural and generational prejudices, family love is an essential part of life. Nnaemeka's father, an Ibo man, is dead set against his son marrying out of their ethnic group. He basically disowns his son because Nnaemeka marries Nene, an Ibibio woman. The father even cuts Nene out of the wedding picture his son sends him. The men of the Ibo village all agree that Nnaemeka has rebelled against his father and that his actions are scandalous. The fact the marriage is quite a topic of discussion in the village and among the Ibo women in Lagos renders the title an example of verbal irony. 

Fortunately for Nnaemeka, his father softens after receiving a letter from Nene saying that the couple has two sons who would very much like to see their grandfather. In the final lines of the story, the father is regretting his decision and hoping his son will forgive him and how he will make it up to the couple. He is overcome by the love that is inherent with blood. He is overcome by longing to see his grandsons. The message also has a universal purpose as Achebe is saying that love is stronger than any enmity which may exist between ethnic groups, religions or races.

the chemical eqation of Ba(oh)2+Na2cro4

`Ba(OH)_2` is a strong base.

`Ba(OH)_2 -> Ba^(2+)+2OH^-`

`Na_2CrO_4 ` is a basic salt formed from the reaction of `NaOH` and `H_2CrO_4`

`Na_2CrO_4 -> 2Na^++CrO_4^(2-)`

Once these two are mixed it will form the yellow precipitate of `BaCrO_4` .

`Ba(OH)_2 +Na_2CrO_4 -> BaCrO_4+2NaOH`

So the answer is;

`Ba(OH)_2_(aq) +Na_2CrO_4_(aq) -> BaCrO_4_((s))+2NaOH_(aq)`

What was Helen's mother's name?

Helen began her autobiography by introducing her parents and relations.  Her mother's maiden name was Kate Adams.  When her mother married Arthur H. Keller, she became Kate Adams Keller.  Kate's parents were Charles Adams and Lucy Helen Everett.

Helen emphasized names in this first chapter of her book.  She told the story of how her parents chose her own name.  At first, they wanted to name her Mildred after an ancestor.  They eventually decided against this name, though they chose it for her younger sister years later.  At Kate Keller's request, they settled on naming their infant daughter after Helen Everett Adams, her maternal grandmother.

This emphasis on names at the beginning of the book shows that Helen's family valued names and connections with the past.  Helen told the names of her parents, but she did not stop there.  She also named all of her grandparents.  On her mother's side, she identified her great-grandparents and briefly identified their family history.

What is the role played by the horse in the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"?

The main role of the horse in the narrative of the poem is to emphasize, first, how unusual it is for the narrator to stop and watch a snowfall, second, to emphasize how long the narrator stays watching the snow fall in the woods, and third, to highlight the silence in the woods. In the second stanza, the narrator says his horse must think it "queer," in other words, odd, that they have stopped in the middle of nowhere--"without a farmhouse near," between the woods and a frozen lake. In the third stanza, the horse shakes his harness bells, a sign of impatience similar to a child saying "can we go now?" To the poet, the horse seems to be asking if there is some mistake that they've stopped so long. The jingle of his harness bells also emphasizes how still the scene is: the only other sounds are "easy wind," and "downy flake." In other words, it is hushed and quiet in the woods. 

The poem thus turns a simple "prop," the horse, into a character almost in dialogue with the narrator, highlighting how unusual it is for this man to stop and enjoy the moment in a busy life "with promises to keep" and "miles to go before I sleep."

What is a good thesis statement for a compare and contrast essay on Rainsford and Zaroff from the short story "The Most Dangerous Game"?

Sanger Rainsford and General Zaroff, from the short story "The Most Dangerous Game," are similar in their zeal for hunting, yet very different in how far they will go to indulge in their passion.

Rainsford has immersed himself in the world of big game hunting. After all, he has written books on the subject and when the reader first meets him he is on his way to hunt jaguars in South America. He is also initially unfeeling in his attitude toward the animals he hunts. He comments to his friend Whitney,

"You're a big-game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how a jaguar feels?"..."Be a realist. The world is made up of two classes, the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are hunters."

Later, however, Rainsford's opinion of hunting is challenged when the tables are turned and he becomes the prey of the diabolical General Zaroff. He realizes what it's like to be a "beast at bay." Despite the fact he ultimately wins the "game" against Zaroff, the reader might assume he will never hunt again.

Zaroff is a homicidal sociopath. He has grown bored with hunting animals and, because he feels he is a superior human being, he hunts men on his remote island. He tells Rainsford the rationale for his brutal practice:

"Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong. Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why should I not? I hunt the scum of the earth: sailors from tramp ships--lassars, blacks, Chinese, whites, mongrels--a thoroughbred horse or hound is worth more than a score of them." 

Zaroff will go to any means to indulge his lust for the blood sport. Zaroff offers to hunt with Rainsford but the American separates himself from the general. He cannot fathom hunting people and tells Zaroff,

"Hunting? Great Guns, General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder." 

Zaroff gives Rainsford the option of being hunted or succumbing to the torture of the servant Ivan. Rainsford chooses the hunt and, while Zaroff is an excellent tracker, Rainsford escapes and kills the general in his bedroom in the stories last scene.  

Why do Sal and Phoebe break in to Mrs. Cadaver's house?

Phoebe is convinced, even before her mother disappears, that Mrs. Cadaver is a murderer. She interprets everything (even Mrs. Cadaver’s name) as proof of her theory. When she sees Mrs. Cadaver working in her yard, removing bushes, Phoebe assumes it is to cover a dead body. When Mrs. Winterbottom disappears, Phoebe wants to investigate Mrs. Cadaver’s house for clues while Mrs. Cadaver is at work. She drags Sal with her. The door is open, so the girls walk into the darkened house. They forgot about Mrs. Partridge, who is blind and does not need the lights on. When they turn on the light to talk with Mrs. Partridge, Phoebe notices a sword on the wall and examines it for blood stains. Mrs. Partridge, who senses this, warns her not to cut herself. Mrs. Partridge is also reading a murder mystery in Braille. Phoebe checks the floor for any blood stains or other clues. Mrs. Partridge tells Phoebe that she met her brother. Phoebe tells her that she does not have a brother, which Mrs. Partridge finds odd, since she seldom makes mistakes in recognizing people by touch. They quickly leave, with Phoebe convinced that the police should be notified of her “findings.”

What does the abbey symbolize or represent?

In this story, the prince's isolated abbey seems to represent the desire to delay or avoid death.  The terribly fatal pestilence, called the Red Death, had swept through his kingdom, killing half of its citizens swiftly and grotesquely.  In his arrogant attempt to evade the disease, Prince Prospero invites one thousand of his healthiest and most fun friends to run away with him.  He stocks the abbey with everything they'd need, and his courtiers weld the iron gates shut so that no one can get in to or out of the fortress.  He seems to feel that "With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion.  The external world could take care of itself."  The prince and his friends feel that they had thought of everything, that they would be totally isolated from the rest of humanity and thus there would be no way in which the terrible disease could possible reach them.  However, despite the prince's wealth and isolated abbey, and his and the courtiers' planning and youth and health, there is simply no way to avoid death. 

What is the length of a minor arc that is intercepted by a central angle whose measure is 50 degrees and the circle has a radius of 10?

Hello!

As you know, the length of an entire circumference of a radius `r` is `2 pi r,` and an entire circumference contains the central angle of 360 degrees.

Also the length of an arc is proportional to the measure of its central angle. The proportion is:

length of an arc with an angle `alpha` : length of an entire circumference = `alpha` : 360°,

or

length for angle alpha : `2 pi r` = `alpha` : 360°

(alpha is in degrees also).

Thus the length is `2 pi r * alpha/360,`  in our case it is  `(2 pi *10*50)/360=pi*25/9,` or approximately `8.73.`

In Pride and Prejudice, how does Elizabeth's view of men change over the course of the story? What do Darcy, Wickham, and Bingley do that affects...

I think, in a nutshell, what Elizabeth learns is that her judgement, of others, and of herself, is often wrong. Often the men she dislikes turn out to be the ones who are most worthwhile, while the ones she does initially like turn out bad.  

Elizabeth thinks Darcy is quite rude at first. She does overhear him describe her as only "tolerable" at the ball at the beginning of the book. She learns that she is wrong about him when she learns about the role he plays in resolving the elopement with Lydia and Wickham. Darcy is proud, but she changes her mind about him when she sees that he actually has listened to her, understood her mortification about Lydia, and has done something about it.

Elizabeth is at first quite taken with Wickham, who on the face of it is the opposite of Mr Darcy: where Darcy seems cold and aloof, Wickham is charming and confiding. In fact, Elizabeth, who has already decided that Darcy is too proud, is being fooled by Wickham, who does not tell her the truth about his relationship with Darcy; Elizabeth is all too eager to believe what he says. Her blindness to him contributes in part to Lydia's eventual elopement. 

Bingley is another character Elizabeth is wrong about. It is true, Darcy tells her, that he worked to separate Bingley from Jane. But Bingley is not fickle in his attachment, as Elizabeth suspects, and does return to Jane in the end.

More than changing her view of men, I think that these three relationships also have a profound effect on Elizabeth's understanding of herself. She learns not make snap judgements about people, and she learns that what really counts in relationships is what people do, not what they say.

How does Scout perceive Boo in to Kill a Mockingbird? Include specific evidence found in the text to back up your statements.

At the beginning of the novel, Scout percieves Boo as the frightening neighbor who terrorizes animals and commits small crimes throughout the community during the night. In Chapter 1, Scout refers to Boo Radley as the "malevolent phantom." (Lee 10) In Chapter 5, Scout is sitting with Miss Maudie on her front porch and asks her if Boo Radley is still alive. Miss Maudie tells Scout that Boo is still alive because she had not seen him carried out yet. Scout says, "Maybe he died and they stuffed him up the chimney." (Lee 57) When Maudie asks Scout where she would even get that idea from, Scout tells her that's what Jem thought. Scout believes her older and Jem's imaginative descriptions of Boo Radley has affected the way Scout perceives Boo. Scout fears Boo Radley and in Chapter 6 she is hesitant to follow her brother and Dill on their "raid." Based off of the rumors, Scout believes that Boo is a violent individual capable of heinous acts. In Chapter 8, Mrs. Radley dies. Scout and Jem believe that Boo had finally killed his mother, but are disappointed when Atticus tells them she died of natural causes. Later on in the chapter, Boo quietly covers Scout with a blanket without her knowing while she is standing outside watching Maudie's house burn. The next morning, Atticus tells Scout that Boo Radley was the one who gave her the blanket. When Scout hears this, she almost throws up. At this point in the novel, Scout still perceives Boo as a threat but is beginning to question his intentions. As the novel progresses, Scout begins to view Boo Radley with sympathy and doesn't think they should "bother" him anymore. At the end of the book, Scout finally perceives Boo for who he really is...their kind, caring, shy neighbor.

What are 3 character traits of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones from "Thank You M'am?"

Langston Hughes' short story "Thank You, M'am," revolves around the interactions between Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones and Roger. Through her actions, speech, physical description, relationship with Roger, and his observations of her, Jones is built into a formidable character. 

Strong: Jones is both physically strong and mentally strong-willed. She is able to capture and carry/drag Roger after his attempt to steal her purse. However, she also is able to maintain a steely control over her own reactions and maintain her core beliefs in this situation. Her strength overwhelms Roger and he ends up complying with her demands of his behavior.

Empathetic: Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, recognizing them as inherently human in a shared experience. Even though Roger's attempt to steal Jones' purse sets them on opposite sides of a conflict, Jones does not dehumanize Roger but instead tries to understand where he is coming from. 

Moral: Jones' actions are based on a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong, and she seeks to shape Roger's behavior to follow this same path. 

How can I research a franchise to find basic information about it, such as a description, required investment, and training provided? How can I...

Below is a link to the website for International Franchise Association, which is designed to help the prospective investor or businessperson to narrow his or her focus and to develop a sense for the feasibility and desirability of various investment options involving business franchises. Franchises, of course, are licensed businesses that utilize already-existing (and presumably successful) business models, trademarked names and logos, and marketing efforts. Most fast-food businesses, such as McDonalds, Taco Bell, and Dairy Queen, are franchised out to independent operators who purchase the right to operate the franchise in question in exchange for an agreement to abide by the central headquarters' policies and practices. That accounts for the uniformity among the many franchisees operating the hundreds of thousands of such businesses around the world. Every McDonalds franchise, for instance, is required to adhere to the basic formula set forth by the corporation even though are they independently owned and operated. 

Now, let’s utilize the features of the International Franchise Association’s website, as it exists for precisely this purpose. In completing the assignment, the student should first decide on what general type of business he or she wants to study. The IFA’s website provides a search engine that helps the user to discover the precise business opportunities available within the confines of the user’s specified financial parameters. In other words, choose a type of business—for illustrative purposes, we’ll use food, as that’s a very common business type for those looking to operate a franchise—and then decide, within a relatively broad range, how much money you have or want to invest in a franchise. So, click on “Food: Restaurants,” and then on the “$100,000-$250,000” range, and then look at the short list of options for investment. Click on “Firehouse Subs” as though that is the corporation with which you hope to invest in a franchise. You are now presented with basic information on Firehouse Subs, such as the year the company was founded, how many franchised units already exist, the range of costs to launch the undertaking (i.e., start-up costs), and the total cost of the investment, which, in this case, ranges from $128,760 to $1,160,900, the range probably reflecting a number of factors such as unit size and location, some regions being more expensive to operate in than others.

Once the student has gone this far in the process, the next step could be to contact the corporation chosen, a link to which is, once again, provided in the IFA website. In the comments section, the student should inquire as the details involved in operating a franchise of Firehouse Subs, including the training regimen required of franchise owners to ensure that employees are fully prepared to operate within the corporation’s business model. The student should also go directly to “Firehouse Subs Franchise” website, which provides pertinent information, such as the fact of a $20,000 “franchise fee,” and that 15 to 20 full- and part-time employees will need to be hired.

Next, go to FranchiseChatter.com, which will provide earnings and profit information for franchised businesses, including Firehouse Subs. Against the dollar amounts reflecting “gross sales” for Firehouse Subs franchises, including for both smaller and larger units, one can weigh the value of an investment in this particular franchise. Whether an individual investor concludes that a particular investment is worth his or her while is entirely subjective, but the data provided clearly indicates that an investment in a Firehouse Subs franchise would be a good financial decision.

This example has, obviously, focused on Firehouse Subs, but the same exercise will yield equivalent data for a whole multitude of potential business opportunities. It is up to the student, however, to actually select and research a particular business model. The IFA website is a good place to start.

What are some things that Hoover and FDR did that are similar ?

Even though there were major differences between how President Roosevelt and President Hoover dealt with the Great Depression, they did do some similar things. In President Hoover’s last year or so in office, He shifted from a laissez-faire, hands-off philosophy to one where the government got involved in trying to end the Great Depression.

There were three significant programs that Hoover launched to try to deal with the Great Depression. One program was called the National Credit Corporation. This program helped distressed banks make loans to their communities to try to stimulate the economy. A second program was the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. This program provided loans to businesses and groups to try to get the economy going again. Railroad companies, banks, and farming institutions were some of the groups that received these loans. Finally, the Emergency Relief and Construction Act gave direct help to people by providing them with jobs or loans. President Hoover did try to do things to end the Great Depression, especially in his last year in office. 

President Hoover’s programs had similar goals to the numerous programs of President Roosevelt’s New Deal program. President Roosevelt also tried to provide direct aid to the people by creating various job creation programs such as Civil Works Administration, The Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Public Works Administration. President Roosevelt tried to help the banking industry by declaring a bank holiday and only allowing the financially strong banks to reopen. He also provided insurance for savings accounts to encourage people to put money into their bank accounts. However, Hoover’s programs weren’t enough to end the Great Depression while Roosevelt’s programs had some impact on the effects of the Great Depression.

While there were far more differences between President Hoover’s approach to deal with the Great Depression and President Roosevelt’s approach to deal with the Great Depression, there were some aspects that were similar.

What advice does Circe give concerning Scylla and Charybdis?

Regarding Scylla, Circe tells Odysseus that the she-monster has twelve horrible feet and six long necks, each neck topped with an awful head that has three rows of teeth each.  She lives in a cave and cries horribly like a young dog, thrusting her heads out of her cave to snatch men from their ships as they pass, one man per terrible head.  About Charybdis, Circe says that the terrible whirlpool sucks the ocean water down and spits it back up three times per day.  She says that if Odysseus's ship is there during one of the times Charybdis pulls the water down, there is no way to survive; all on board will perish by drowning.  Circe advises that he steer toward Scylla because then he can only lose six men at most, and he could lose all if Charybdis gets them.  When he argues and insists that they might wait and watch Charybdis to try to figure out when it is safe to pass her, Circe tells him, "Courage is nothing; flight is best." 

In Walk Two Moons, how does the setting impact the novel?

There are two separate stories in the novel: one takes place in Sal’s new home of Euclid, Ohio, and the other is on the road with her grandparents, traveling to Idaho. Sal makes it clear from the beginning that her real home is in Bybanks, Kentucky, where she had lived with her parents before her mother left home. Bybanks is in the country and a place of wide, open spaces. Euclid is a town where Sal feels crowded in. She misses the trees of Bybanks. She feels this defines her; Euclid does not. Yet her father needs to be in Euclid since they have learned that Sal’s mother is not returning.

On the road, Sal prays to the trees, hoping to get to Idaho by her mother’s birthday to bring her home. Each stop on the way is a place where her mother stopped. She had taken a bus and sent postcards to Sal along the way. The road serves as a link to her mother, Sal feels. Her grandparents (her father’s parents) are eccentric, but she loves them. They remind her of Bybanks.

Discuss the relationship between Neil and June in The Secret Life of Bees. What do you think might be the root of their issues?

The relationship between Neil and June is an uneasy one, in spite of the fact that they clearly love one another.  This is largely because of June, who is a very well-defended and mistrusting character.

June was jilted at the altar several years before by a man named Melvin Edwards.  She has sworn she will never get married. She does not want to take any chances, ever again, on love.  August tells her,

Ever since Melvin Edwards backed out of your wedding all those years back, you've been afraid of love, refusing to take a chance (211). 

Neil is growing tired of asking June to marry him and being turned down, and he, too, asks her, "What are you scared of?" (132). He has asked her many times, and she persists in saying she will never marry. What she is afraid of is being hurt.  

Finally, when May kills herself, she leaves a note to August and June, saying, "...it's your time to live. Don't mess it up" (210). This message is meant particularly for June, who has not been living completely, afraid to love because she was once hurt. When Neil asks her to marry him "for the hundredth time" (222), June realizes finally that May was right, that she needs to live a full and loving life. 

What point of view does Wilfred Owen have on an idea or theme raised in the poem, "Dulce et Decorum Est"? What is your opinion about Owen's view?...

The central message of "Dulce et Decorum Est" is that, if the reader could see what the speaker has seen -- the real horrors of war, the awful human toll, a young man's eyes as they roll around in his head while he, in pain, waits to die -- then the reader would never again repeat the "old Lie," that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country (a well-known line from Horace).  To see such sights convinces a person that no death in war is sweet.  As a soldier in World War I, Wilfred Owen has seen these sights himself, and it is immediately clear, especially because the speaker calls this idea a "lie," that he does not agree that it is sweet to die, in war, for one's country (or any reason).

I find Owen's position to be compelling given the nature of the images in this poem: a man floundering in chlorine gas because he could not get his mask on in time, the gas burning his lungs so they fill with blood and he literally drowns in his own blood. To watch this man slowly die, knowing that he is dying, knowing that he knows that he's dying, and that there's nothing that any of them can do about it, is a truly horrifying thought.  I think it gives people comfort to imagine that our loved ones die in wars for noble causes and that this, in some way, helps to justify their sacrifice.  However, Owen does not want any of us to make the mistake of only thinking of death in war in this way.  It might be noble, but it is also bitter, "bitter as the cud / Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues," not sweet.

In what ways can traumatic events be opportunities for growth?

Recovering from a traumatic experience may inspire a person to go "above and beyond" rather than just attaining the quality of life held before the trauma. For many, the first goal in recovery is to just get back to normal and learn to cope with the anxiety or fatigue that is common in a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Just as physical bodies in motion tend to stay in motion, a person on a path of emotional and  mental growth develops momentum, too.

Experiencing trauma can radically alter a person's life. Our worldviews, behaviors, and even values may be changed by the experience of death, injury, or prolonged high-stress situations. Psychologists have found that there are structural changes in the brains of people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which often results in the affected individual being on "high alert" for the threat of further trauma. The brain adapts to protect itself. 

The lessons a person learns in the process of recovering from trauma may take them "beyond" the lifestyle they considered normal before experiencing trauma. For example, one thing many people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder struggle with is a feeling of security or safety, often meaning they need to feel totally in control of and aware of their surroundings. Gradually working through this anxiety and learning that it is okay to not be 100% in control of your own surroundings is a big step. When someone who has suffered trauma can expand their comfort zone and feel safe without needing to be in control of every aspect of their environment, many doors open for them. Some people have found that travelling provides both a challenge (getting out of the comfort zone) and a sense of fulfillment from having accepted and overcome the challenge. Positive experiences on the road to recovery build momentum and inspire an individual to keep trying new things!

Another feeling many people who have suffered trauma report is a sense of "waking up" to what the world or certain people may be like. While this can become a source of anxiety, learning to live with new-found knowledge can inspire people to become passionate advocates for themselves and others who suffer similar traumas. 

What are the social and historical contexts and influences based on love in Romeo and Juliet?

The origins of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is believed to be a poem written by Arthur Brooke in 1562 entitled, “The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet,” which was loosely based upon the novella by Boisteau entitled, Rhomeo and Julietta.  Thus, the play derives from a long-standing literary tradition of interpretations of the real Italian love story form the 3rd Century between the Capeletti and Montecci families. 

The precise publication date of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is unknown, but many scholars date the first appearance between 1594 and 1595.  Therefore, the play emanates from the Elizabethan Era, a time in English history characterized by the age of the renaissance, where significant changes were occurring in religion, politics, science, language and the arts. In regards to love and martial relationships, the Elizabethan Era was a time of relative freedom.

In the critical work by Bruce Young entitled, Family Life in the Age of Shakespeare, he states, “Most historians conclude that love and friendship were essential elements of English marriages throughout the entire early modern period [Renaissance]” (Young 44).  This new attitude toward love is captured through the earnest emotions of Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare’s play.  This is evident in the infamous balcony scene when Romeo professes, “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?  / It is the east, and Juliet is the sun” (II. i. 44-45).  This metaphor compares Juliet to the sun, illustrating the intensity of feeling that Romeo has for her—he sees her as the light of his world. 

Further, in contrast to the arranged marriages of ancient times, the Elizabethan Era allowed men and women to mingle more freely and choose their own partners.  This again influenced the plot of Romeo and Juliet because both Romeo and Juliet ignored the feuds of their families and insisted on loving each other.   However, the Elizabethan Era did uphold the formal courting standard of getting the approval of a woman’s parents prior to “wooing” her.  In the context of Romeo and Juliet, this standard is not upheld, for Romeo pursues Juliet in secrecy.  Yet, he does so because the Montagues and Capulets are engaged in an ancient feud of hostility.  Therefore, the courtship of Juliet by Romeo gains more significance in a time when it was socially expected to seek parental permission prior to pursuing. 

What prevented Odysseus from coming home after the Trojan war

The Achaeans spent ten years fighting Troy. Thanks to the valor of Achilles and the cunning of Odysseus, they succeeded. However, many of the heroes were fated to never return to their homes. On his part, Odysseus endured a number of trials which lengthened his return journey by another decade. 

First, the Greeks angered the gods by violating the Trojan temples. Thus they shipwrecked many of the Greeks. Twice more Odysseus incurred the gods' wrath. First, he killed Poseidon's son, Polyphemus the cyclops. Second, his men ate the sacred cattle of the sun-god Helios; Zeus responded to this affront by shipwrecking Odysseus on Ogygia. Odysseus remained on this island for seven years, imprisoned by the goddess Calypso (by this point, all Odysseus' ships had been destroyed and all his men had died). Finally, Athena convinced Zeus to free him.

Odysseus, was also--at times--delayed by his own infidelity. For example, Odysseus spent a year with the goddess Circe.

Despite these trials, Odysseus finally made it home to Ithaca and his family (his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus).

What are the differences between the late eighteenth-century Historicism developed in Germany, and the New Historicism developed by Greenblatt?

Eighteenth-century historicism is usually associated with the Romantic movement and the writings of Leopold von Ranke. Essentially, Ranke argued that culture (especially high culture and politics at the state level, which was what he was primarily interested in) was determined to a great extent by the times in which one lived--the material, economic, and other factors that were specific to one's time and place. Culture, and more broadly human nature, were therefore not fixed or unchanging. Ranke also argued for the importance of historical facts--he was one of the first historians to engage in rigorous archival work--and he saw history as an unfolding of facts that could be understood and related by scholars. 

One major difference between the two is that Stephen Greenblatt was interested first and foremost in historicizing works of literature, most famously Shakespeare. Greenblatt's field is literary criticism, and while Ranke was also interested in literature and the arts, his field of inquiry was much wider. Greenblatt, like Ranke, explains literature more in terms of historical context than, say, structuralists, who were focused more on the influence of literary forms and tropes on writing. Another difference is that von Ranke and other early German historicists still, like Hegel, understood history in terms of the works of God on earth. Ranke wrote:

In all of history God dwells, lives, can be recognized. Every deed gives testimony of Him, every moment preaches His name, but most of all, it seems to me, so does the connectedness of History...

Indeed, Ranke and his contemporaries largely saw history as a means for understanding the role played by God in the world. Greenblatt's approach is more secular, as is most twentieth and twenty-first century scholarship.

What are some character traits of Romeo, with quotes? I've been able to get the basics such as passionate and brave, but I'm trying to find 8.

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How many moles of gas are contained in 890.0 ml at 21.0 C and 125.3 mm Hg pressure?

Using the ideal gas law: 

PV = nRT

or, n = PV/RT

where, P is the pressure, V is the volume, n is the number of moles, R is the universal gas constant and T is the temperature.

Here, P = 125.3 mm Hg = 125.3 mm Hg/ 760 mm Hg/atm = 0.165 atm 

V = 890 ml = 0.89 L

R = 0.0821 L atm/mol/K

T = 21 degree Celsius = (21 + 273) K = 294 K

Using the ideal gas law:

n = PV/RT = 0.165 atm x 0.89 L / (0.0821 L atm/mol/K x 294 K) 

 = 0.0061 moles.

Thus, the gas at given conditions contain 0.0061 moles. 

While doing such calculations, always remember to use the right set of units. For example, in this case, R determines the units of other parameters. Since it has units of L atm/mol/K, volume has to be converted to liters, temperature to Kelvin scale and pressure to atm (atmosphere) from mm Hg.

Hope this helps. 

Why are Buddy and his friend saving money in "A Christmas Memory"?

In Truman Capote’s short story “A Christmas Memory,” Buddy and his cousin save money all year for their “Fruitcake Fund.” Each year they make fruitcakes to send to mere acquaintances and important political dignitaries. Because they have no reliable sources of income, their problem is to find ways to make enough money to buy the items needed for making and sending the cakes. The acts of acquiring and saving the money become a year long endeavor. They sell jams and jellies, enter contests, and squirrel away spare cash received from others in their household. One of their most lucrative money making schemes was a “Freak Show” they held in their barn. Neighbors came and paid admission to see the show. All of these paltry amounts were placed in an old beaded purse they hid under the floorboards. Occasionally, Buddy was allowed a small amount to see a movie but for the most part, the money was used to maintain the Christmas tradition that the cousins cherished.

How does the third person point of view affect what we know about Ned and his life in "The Swimmer"?

The third person point of view can be either omniscient or limited. An omniscient third person perspective means that the narrator can reveal the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in a story, while a limited third person point of view only discloses the thoughts and feelings of one character. In "The Swimmer" the third person point of view is limited, as the narrator only reveals Ned's thoughts and feelings. 

In this case, the effect of the limited third person point of view restricts our understanding of Ned's life and what's happened to him, because Ned is an unreliable character. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that he is confused about his past and his environment. He doesn't remember things about the people living in the suburbs that he's swimming through, like when the Levys visited Japan, or that the Welchers have moved and sold their house, or when he had an affair with his mistress: "They had had an affair last week, last month, last year. He couldn’t remember." He also doesn't know what Mrs. Halloran is talking about when she mentions his recent losses. 

As he was pulling himself out of the water he heard Mrs. Halloran say, "We’ve been terribly sorry to hear about all your misfortunes, Neddy."

"My misfortunes?" Ned asked. "I don’t know what you mean."

"Why, we heard that you’d sold the house and that your poor children . . .”

“I don’t recall having sold the house,” Ned said, “and the girls are at home.”

It's evident that Ned has suppressed his memories of the past, particularly those related to the collapse of his idealistic suburban life. Knowing this, it's difficult to understand what exactly is going on with Ned through the limited third person point of view. We have to piece it together through dialogue and exterior action as we aren't granted access to the thoughts of characters outside of Ned who have a more reliable perspective of the reality of his situation. 

What could be a suggestion for a monologue for Banquo's ghost in Macbeth?

In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth urges Macbeth to kill King Duncan, and despite his own misgivings, Macbeth ultimately commits the heinous crime. He relies on Lady Macbeth's absolute cruelty and his own "vaulting ambition" (I.vii.27) in killing Duncan. However, after killing Duncan, he no longer needs encouragement from Lady Macbeth; in fact, he ignores her pleas to "leave this" (III.ii.35) and pursues Banquo because of the witches' prophesy, that although Banquo will never be king, his sons will be. After Banquo's death, Macbeth learns that Banquo's son Fleance is still alive and that causes him to behave irrationally.

In Act III, scene iv, the ghost appears and is seated in Macbeth's seat. Although no one else at the banquet is aware of the ghost, Macbeth can only focus on the fact that there is no room for him at the table as the ghost is in his seat. It is soon apparent that he is unwell and Lady Macbeth covers for his "fit." The ghost could speak at this point:

And so my lord, it seems I shall indeed be the father of kings.

The "weird women's" words ring true for me 

And Macbeth's "most foul" actions are his recompense. 

He will be discovered although self-discovery will no doubt elude him.

My conscience is clear and the sons of my sons will reward me most fruitfully.

Whilst Macbeth the host is driven mad by my presence,

His lady and his guests see only the beginnings

As his untruths, masked as truths reveal that

"The instruments of darkness" are at work but will never

Succeed except against an equally dark force...Macbeth himself. 

Why are the children fascinated with the Radley house? What was the first "dare" made concerning the house?

The children are fascinated with the Radley house because of the stories, myths, and superstitions that surround the man inside. 

"The Radley Place fascinated Dill. In spite of our warnings and explanation it drew him as the moon draws water, but drew him no nearer than the light-pole on the corner, a safe distance from the Radley gate. There he would stand, his arm around the at pole, staring and wondering" (8).

Jem and Scout fill in the newcomer, Dill, with any and all kinds of information that they have about Arthur (Boo) Radley.They tell him about the time when he was a young man and got caught up with a bad crowd of Cunninghams. The boys were joyriding backwards in the square and got brought up on charges before the judge. Everyone was sentenced to go to an industrial state school, but Mr. Radley wouldn't have it. He promised the judge that nothing like that would happen again and Boo was shut up for life by his father.

The people of Maycomb started believing that Boo roamed the streets at night, no thanks to the gossiping of Miss Stephanie Crawford. From then on, people thought that anything that went wrong in town was because of Boo. Children won't eat the nuts that fall from the Radley yard into the schoolyard. People won't pass the Radley house at night, and even Calpurnia said the following one time:

"'There goes the meanest man ever God blew breath into,' and she spat meditatively into the yard" (12).

Calpurnia's spitting is an act of superstition to protect her from the evil vibes coming off of Mr. Radley as he passed by her. Hence, the stories, the myths, and the superstitions surrounding the Radley home not only captures the children's imagination, but that of the whole town of Maycomb as well. 

Hello, I am in a particular dilemma. This semester I have been taking a Literary Theory Course and for our final paper, we should choose a literary...

Given the list provided in the question, much could be written (and has been written) on Plato and Aristotle. Because Aristotle studied Plato and some of Aristotle's theories in the Poetics respond to what he had encountered from Plato (especially in the Republic), it seems fitting that these two authors should be linked.

As for the text of choice, one of Homer's poems would be a fitting choice. The Iliad would probably be the best to analyze because Plato seems to have more to say about the Iliad, especially in Republic 2 and 3, than he does the Odyssey.

Aristotle has a number of comments about Homer in the Poetics. For example, in Part II of Butcher's translation, we read as follows: "Homer, for example, makes men better than they are".

In contrast, in Republic III, Plato wants the educational system of his ideal state to avoid some of Homer's less virtue-inducing passages:

"Then we will once more entreat Homer and the other poets not to depict Achilles, who is the son of a goddess, first lying on his side, then on his back, and then on his face; then starting up and sailing in a frenzy along the shores of the barren sea..." (Jowett translation).

So, in my view, I would say that reading Homer's Iliad through a Platonic and Aristotlean lens would be a "do-able" project.

Why do we see the color orange?

The human eye has two kinds of photo receptive cells, rods and cones. Rod cells are those that are not very sensitive to the color of light falling on them. They largely function as cells that detect the presence or absence of light and therefore pass on signals of black and white to the brain. The cone cells on the other hand are responsible for color and visual sharpness. There are three types of cone cells that are sensitive to either of green, red or blue light. These three colors can be used to create all other colors in our visible spectrum. The color orange is one which can be created by mixing red with a little bit of green. 

If a body has an outer surface such that all of blue is absorbed, all of red is reflected and a small portion of green is also reflected, the reflected light from the object is perceived by our eyes as orange. It is the proportion of red, blue and green absorbed/reflected by an object that determines if it appears orange in color.

In the story "The Pit and the Pendulum," how does Poe use imagery in the first paragraph?

Imagery refers to descriptions that appeal to the five senses. In the first paragraph of "The Pit and the Pendulum," Poe uses auditory, visual, and tactile imagery.

Auditory imagery includes the description of the inquisitors' voices which become a "dreamy indeterminate hum" and later the silence during which the narrator "shuddered because no sound succeeded" from their lips as they pronounce his name.

Visual imagery includes the descriptions of the "lips of the black-robed judges," the drapes in the room, the tall burning candles, and the blackness and darkness when he faints.

Tactile imagery, which can refer to temperature, texture, or movement, includes the moving of the drapes, the horrible nausea, and the feeling that shoots through his body "as if I had touched the wire of a galvanic battery." As he faints, all sensation leaves him and is replaced by a feeling of stillness. 

Authors use imagery to help the reader feel as if he or she is part of the scene, and in this paragraph Poe enables the reader to hear, see, and feel the things that the narrator experienced through his detailed descriptions.

What made Percy Shelley's "Ozymandias" a memorable poem and what feelings does the poem evoke?

Percy Shelley's “Ozymandias” is an interesting example of early British Romanticism. The statue referenced in the poem was real and had been recently acquired by a museum in England. Shelley wrote this poem to commemorate the occasion.

Most readers and critics would probably say that the poem is memorable for its treatment of the desire to gain everlasting fame. Ozymandias was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who commissioned the monument to insure his legacy. However, by the time the British decide to bring it back to the museum, the statue is anything but impressive.

The words on the statue say:

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Ozymandias obviously wanted to make a bold, confident statement. But Shelley immediately then comments on the transitory nature of life when he describes what the statue looks like:

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

The contrast between Ozymandias' words and the condition of his statue might leave the reader with several possible feelings. A reader might feel satisfaction that Ozymandias got his comeuppance and paid for his arrogance, or a reader might be left with a sense of loss over the temporary nature of life.  

Does the material of a ball affect how high it goes when you throw it up in the air?

The material of the ball does not affect the height it reaches when it is thrown up. The equations that describe the height which reaches a body when it is thrown vertically upwards are the following:

h = h0 + v0t + (gt^2)/2

h = (v^2 – v0^2)/2g

h0,  is the initial height, when it exists.

v0,  is the initial speed of the body.

g,  is the acceleration of gravity.

t,  is the time.

Balls made of different materials have different masses, but in the previous equations we can see that the height does not depend on the mass of the body. The height depends only on the initial speed of the ball and is independent of its mass, so that the material does not affect the height that it reaches. 

So, when two balls of different materials are thrown upwards with the same initial speed, they arrive at the same height.

What is the heating process responsible for moving bands of air around Earth?

Well, the specific process would be convection.  The process of convection occurs when hot air, heated by the sun, rises into the atmosphere.  The higher the air goes, the cooler it gets, so the air condenses and becomes heavier.  Since the air is now too heavy to stay in the upper regions of the troposphere, it starts to sink.  This circular pattern is called a convection cell, and is responsible for all the wind production, both local and global, on the earth.  Other processes that play a factor are radiation from the sun, which causes uneven heating of the earths surface, and conduction, which is heat transfer by direct contact.  The earths rotation also causes directional components for winds, which are divided by latitude markings on the earth.  The equator gets the most direct energy from the sun, so it is naturally warmer there.  The poles of the earth get less direct energy from the sun, so it is naturally colder there.

What are the negative effects of Imperialism in America?

Imperialism had some negative effects in the United States. First, it thrust us onto the world scene. This required the United States to deal with situations where the people we were ruling didn’t want us to be there. For example, in the Philippines, we had to put down a rebellion when the people of the Philippines revolted against our presence there. There were American casualties in this conflict.

Another negative effect of imperialism on the United States is how Latin American countries perceived us. We have intervened in Latin America many times to protect American interests. We went to Nicaragua in 1911 to maintain stability and to protect American investments. We helped Panama get its independence from Columbia in 1903. The Columbians were upset with our involvement in this situation. We went to the Dominican Republic to keep the European out when the Dominican Republic fell behind on debt payments to Europe. To this day, many Latin American countries and people refer to the United States as a “big brother” implying that we don’t trust Latin America and must watch over them.

Some of the concepts of imperialism are viewed as racist. The idea that our way of living is the best and must be spread implies that the way other people live is inferior or bad. This creates tension between the majority of Americans and people from the countries we are colonizing that currently live in the United States. For example, if we say we need to show the people of the Philippines how to live, the Filipinos that live in our country may take that a statement that the Filipino way of living here and in the Philippines is inferior.

Finally, there is an economic cost to imperialism. We must protect our colonies. We must govern our colonies. We may have to quell uprisings in the colonies against our rule. All of these actions require funds. Thus, we must spend money to make sure things run smoothly in the colonies.

There were some negative effects of imperialism in the United States.

What is Max thinking as Gwen takes Kevin home?

In chapter four of Philbrick's Freak the Mighty, Max introduces Kevin to his room. Max calls it the "down under" because it is in the basement of his grandparents' house. Freak absolutely loves the fact that Max gets such a unique and private room—it's almost as if Max lives on his own. The boys are getting to know each other and Kevin decides to teach Max about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table as an explanation for why he calls his mother Fair Gwen of Air. Near the end of the chapter, the boys hear Gwen calling for Kevin and they emerge from the basement to see her in the backyard staring at Kevin's wagon. Max describes the scene with Gwen as follows:

"She catches sight of me coming up out of the down under and it's like somebody shot her. Like she's scared out of her mind. . . the Fair Gwen grabs Freak and puts him in the wagon and I swear, she almost runs home, like if she doesn't get away quick something really bad is going to happen. . . It's pretty simple, really. She's scared of me" (20).

This incident does not help Max feel good about himself at all. He goes back to his room and goes to a happy place in his head. The look on Gwen's face comes back to him, though, and he thinks the following:

"Gwen ran off with that look on her face, like: What was he doing with my poor little boy, stealing him away in the wagon?" (21).

Sadly, Max responds by lying on the floor under his bed to deal with the emotional pain of the situation. Fortunately, Gwen gets home, figures out the situation, calls Gram to apologize for her behavior, and invites Max over for dinner.

Explain the ways in which the title of the poem "To the doctor who treated the raped baby and who felt such despair"is unusual and comment on...

The poem's title is unusual is being longer than the average poem title and more prosaic than poetic. In other words, it reads like the first line of a letter. It is informative rather than filled with images, although "raped baby" is an image. The words "raped baby" have a shock value that might normally be left out of a poem's title and saved to show up later. (This being said, it's important to note that these are generalities and that poems have a very wide variety of titles and formats.)

The title is effective in the context of the poem's contents because the body of the poem shows ways ordinary people care for babies and young children, sometimes sacrificing their own comfort to do so: the old man with thin legs walking the floor with a crying baby a night, women nursing babies, people reading young children stories or leaving a night light on for them. These stories contrast with the horror of the rape the doctor must treat and are an antidote to the "despair" he feels. However, the title could also lead one to expect a much darker poem and perhaps not even want to read it, because the words "raped baby" are so intensely powerful and disturbing. 

How can social media influence politics and elections in the twenty-first century? What is the effect on youth voters?

At this point, we really do not know for certain how social media will influence politics and elections in this century.  We can make some guesses, but we have not yet had very many elections during the era of social media, which means that we lack data to make firm conclusions.  Moreover, it is very difficult to separate out the impact of social media from all the other factors that help to determine how people vote in elections.

It seems likely that social media will help politics and elections become more personalized.  The era of big data and the internet has already pushed us a long way down this road, but social media can help move us even further.  Politicians try very hard to do what is called “narrowcasting.”  They try to tailor specific messages to specific people.  These messages are, they believe, the messages that will be most likely to convince those particular people.  Social media can help with this process.  Campaigns can mine people’s social media pages for information about what sorts of things those people like and dislike.  They can compare these profiles to information they already have, which allows them to make educated guesses about what sorts of appeals will work with each individual person.  They can contact those people directly through social media.  Alternatively, the can see if any of those people’s social media contacts are already supporting their candidate and they can use that information to help reach out to these potential voters.

Social media might also help broaden the electorate and bring in more young people in particular.  Younger people have historically been much less likely to vote than older people.  Social media might be able to help lure these younger people to participate in elections.  Younger people might be more responsive when campaigns use social media because social media is a newer form of communication and one that younger people are more used to using.  Young people might tune out communications that come through old-fashioned means while being more receptive to social media.

These are some potential ways in which social media might affect elections and politics in the 21st century (or at least in this part of it).  However, we have very little data about how social media affects these things and we do not even know how important social media will continue to be as we go forward in time.

`a_1 = 9, a_(k + 1) = 2a_k` Write the first five terms of the geometric sequence. Determine the common ratio and write the nth term of the...

You need to write the 5 terms of the geometric sequence, hence, since the problem provides the first term, you need the ratio q. You may evaluate the ratio using the relation:

`a_(k+1) = a_k*q`

`q = (a_(k+1))/(a_k) => q = 2`

You may evaluate `a_2, a_3, a_4, a_5,` such that:

`a_2 = a_1*q => a_2 = 9*2 => a_2 = 18`

`a_3 = a_2*q => a_3 = 18*2 => a_3 = 36`

`a_4 = a_3*q => a_4 = 36*2 => a_4 = 72`

`a_5 = a_4*q => a_5 = 72*2 => a_5 = 144`

Hence, evaluating the five terms of geometric sequence yields `a_1 = 9, a_2 = 18, a_3 = 36, a_4 = 72, a_5 = 144.`

What does the universe look like?

This is a great question, and one that many astronomers and physicists have spent their careers trying to answer.

The widely accepted theory is that the universe began with the Big Bang- a massive explosion which propelled all matter in the universe outward and is continually expanding to this day. When explosions occur in space, we might expect them to take a rounded shape like bubbles which form from air being passed through a bubble-wand. Contrary to this phenomena, scientists believe the universe is generally flat! Based on the density of the observable universe, we can infer that it is infinite on all sides, or flat. Astrophysicists rely on density to determine the shape of the universe as an extension of the Big Bang theory, which suggests that all matter is continually expanding outward. Density describes the spread of matter throughout volume, and in a finite or spherical universe, we would expect the density of matter to "build up" towards the outer limits. 

It has also been suggested that the universe has a slightly curved shape, like a saddle. This is based on observations of variations in the temperature of cosmic background radiation.

How does the witches' prophecy of Macbeth's coming greatness act as a temptation for him?

Macbeth is a man of ambition, as Lady Macbeth mentions in her opening soliloquy ("Thou wouldst be great, / Art not without ambition, but without / The illness should attend it."). Keep in mind, as well, that he is not a stranger to murder. He is a proven soldier; he knows how to kill another human being and is inured to the effects such an action would have on the--as Shakespeare might say--"unblooded." 

When he hears the prophesy, he's first dismissive. Why would he be thane of Cawdor? The thane of Cawdor lives, after all! The witches know, however, that Cawdor is a traitor to the crown, will soon be executed, and King Duncan will give the title to Macbeth. When Macbeth learns this, he quite naturally begins to wonder what he must do, if anything, to become king. 

This temptation, even combined with his proven ability to kill without guilt--at least, on the battlefield--probably isn't enough to move him to regicide, but Lady Macbeth's accusing him of being less than a man if he doesn't is. 

Who was Mildred Keller?

Mildred Keller was the younger sister of Helen Keller.  She was several years younger.  When Mildred was a baby, Helen had a treasured doll.  She often rocked this doll in a cradle.  One day, Helen found her infant sister in the cradle instead of her doll.  She became angry and flipped the cradle over.  Fortunately, Helen's mother was nearby and caught the baby before she fell.  

Later, when Helen was older, she and Mildred would go out into the woods and gather persimmons and nuts.  They also liked to explore and even got lost in the woods.  Years later, when Helen was at Cambridge, Mildred came to the school as well.  For six months, they attended school together.  

Helen explained that despite her early jealousy, she and Mildred "grew into each other's hearts."